SURIY-I-VAFA
(Tablet to Vafa)
He is the All-Knowing
O VAFA! Render thanks unto thy Lord for having
aided thee to embrace His Cause, enabled thee
to recognize the Manifestation of His Own
Self and raised thee up to magnify Him Who is
the Most Great Remembrance in this glorious Announcement.
Blessed art thou O Vafa, inasmuch as thou hast been
faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament at a
time when all men have violated it and have repudiated the
One in Whom they had believed, and this notwithstanding
that He hath appeared invested with every testimony, and
hath dawned from the horizon of Revelation clothed with
undoubted sovereignty.
It behoveth thee, however, to exert thine utmost to
attain the very essence of fidelity. This implieth to be well
assured in thy heart and to testify with thy tongue to that
whereunto God hath testified for His Own exalted Self,
proclaiming: `Verily, self-subsisting am I within the Realm
of Glory.' Whoso is enabled in these days to solemnly affirm
this truth, hath attained unto all good, and the heavenly
Spirit shall descend upon him in the daytime and in the
night season, shall graciously assist him to glorify the
Name of his Lord and suffer him to unloose his tongue and
uphold with his words the Cause of his Lord, the Merciful,
the Compassionate. And none can ever achieve this except
he who hath purged his heart from whatsoever is created
between heaven and earth, and hath entirely detached himself
from all but God, the sovereign Lord, the Almighty,
the Gracious.
Arise thou to serve the Cause and say: I swear by the
righteousness of God! Verily this is the Primal Point,
arrayed in His new attire and manifested in His glorious
Name. He at present beholdeth everything from this
Horizon. Indeed He is supreme over all things. Amongst
the Concourse on High He is known as the Most Great
Announcement and in the Realms of Eternity as the
Ancient Beauty, and before the Throne by this Name
which hath caused the footsteps of them that are endued
with understanding to slip.
Say, I swear by God! In this Revelation even before a
single verse was sent down from the realm of holiness and
sublimity, the supreme testimony of God had been fulfilled
for all the inmates of heaven and the dwellers on earth;
moreover, We have revealed the equivalent of whatsoever
was sent down in the Dispensation of the Bayan. Fear ye
God and suffer not your deeds to be rendered vain and be
not of them that are sunk in heedlessness. Open your eyes
that ye may behold the Ancient Beauty from this shining
and luminous station.
Say, God is my witness! The Promised One Himself
hath come down from heaven, seated upon the crimson
cloud with the hosts of revelation on His right, and the
angels of inspiration on His left, and the Decree hath been
fulfilled at the behest of God, the Omnipotent, the
Almighty. Thereupon the footsteps of everyone have
slipped except such as God hath protected through His
tender mercy and numbered with those who have recognized
Him through His Own Self and detached themselves
from all that pertaineth to the world.
Hearken thou unto the Words of thy Lord and purify
thy heart from every illusion so that the effulgent light of
the remembrance of thy Lord may shed its radiance upon
it, and it may attain the station of certitude.
Know thou moreover that thy letter reached Our
presence and We perceived and perused its contents. We
noted the questions thou hast asked and will readily answer
thee. It behoveth everyone in this Day to ask God that
which he desireth, and thy Lord will heed his petition with
wondrous and undeniable verses.
Thou hast asked regarding the subject of the return.
Know thou that the end is like unto the beginning. Even as
thou dost consider the beginning, similarly shouldst thou
consider the end, and be of them that truly perceive. Nay,
rather consider the beginning as the end itself, and so conversely,
that thou mayest acquire a clear perception. Know
thou moreover that every created thing is continually
brought forth and returned at the bidding of thy Lord, the
God of power and might.
As to the Return, as God hath purposed in His sacred and
exalted Tablets wherein He hath made this theme known
unto His servants; by this is meant the return of all created
things in the Day of Resurrection, and this is indeed the
essence of the Return as thou hast witnessed in God's own
days and thou art of them that testify to this truth.
Verily God is fully capable of causing all names to appear
in one name, and all souls in one soul. Surely powerful and
mighty is He. And this Return is realized at His behest in
whatever form He willeth. Indeed He is the One Who
doeth and ordaineth all things. Moreover, thou shouldst not
perceive the fulfilment of the Return and the Resurrection
save in the Word of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
For instance, were He to take a handful of earth
and declare it to be the One Whom ye have been following
in the past, it would undoubtedly be just and true, even as
His real Person, and to none is given the right to question
His authority. He doeth what He willeth and ordaineth
whatsoever He pleaseth. Moreover, in this station take thou
heed not to turn thy gaze unto limitations and allusions, but
rather unto that whereby the Revelation itself hath been
fulfilled and be of them that are discerning. Thus do We
explain for thee in a lucid and explicit language that thou
mayest comprehend that which thou didst seek from thine
ancient Lord.
Consider thou the Day of Resurrection. Were God to
pronounce the lowliest of creatures among the faithful to
be the First One to believe in the Bayan, thou shouldst have
no misgivings about it and must be of them that truly
believe. In this station look not upon human limitations
and names but rather upon that whereby the rank of the
First One to believe is vindicated, which is faith in God,
and recognition of His Being and assurance in the fulfilment
of His irresistible and binding command.
Consider thou the Revelation of the Point of the Bayan
--exalted is His glory. He pronounced the First One to
believe in Him to be Muhammad, the Messenger of God.
Doth it beseem a man to dispute with Him by saying that
this man is from Persia, the Other from Arabia, or this one
was called Husayn while the Other bore the name of
Muhammad? Nay, I swear by God's holy Being, the
Exalted, the Most Great. Surely no man of intelligence and
insight would ever pay attention unto limitations or names,
but rather unto that with which Muhammad was invested,
which was none other than the Cause of God. Such a
man of insight would likewise consider Husayn and the
position he occupied in the Cause of God, the Omnipotent,
the Exalted, the Knowing, the Wise. And since the First
One to believe in God in the Dispensation of the Bayan
was invested with command similar to that with which
Muhammad, the Messenger of God, was invested, therefore
the Bab pronounced him to be the latter, namely His
return and resurrection. This station is sanctified from every
limitation or name, and naught can be seen therein but
God, the One, the Peerless, the All-Knowing.
Know thou moreover that in the Day of Revelation
were He to pronounce one of the leaves to be the manifestation
of all His excellent titles, unto no one is given the right
to utter why or wherefore, and should one do so he would
be regarded as a disbeliever in God and be numbered with
such as have repudiated His Truth.
Beware, beware lest thou behave like unto the people of
the Bayan. For indeed they erred grievously, misguided the
people, ignored the Covenant of God and His Testament
and joined partners with Him, the One, the Incomparable,
the All-Knowing. Verily they failed to recognize the Point
of the Bayan, for had they recognized Him they would not
have rejected His manifestation in this luminous and
resplendent Being. And since they fixed their eyes on
names, therefore when He replaced His Name `the Most
Exalted' by `the Most Glorious' their eyes were dimmed.
They have failed to recognize Him in these days and are
reckoned with those that perish. Indeed, had they known
Him through His own Self or by virtue of that which He
hath revealed, they would not have repudiated Him when
He appeared in this glorious and incomparable Name, which
God hath ordained to be the Sword of His Revelation
between heaven and earth, and through which truth is
separated from error, even from now until the Day when
mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds.
Know thou moreover that in the Day of His Manifestation
all things besides God shall be brought forth and placed
equally, irrespective of their rank being high or low. The
Day of Return is inscrutable unto all men until after the
divine Revelation hath been fulfilled. He is in truth the
One Who ordaineth whatsoever He willeth. When the
Word of God is revealed unto all created things whoso
then giveth ear and heedeth the Call is, indeed, reckoned
among the most distinguished souls, though he be a carrier
of ashes. And he who turneth away is accounted as
the lowliest of His servants, though he be a ruler amongst
men and the possessor of all the books that are in the heavens
and on earth.
It behoveth thee to look with divine insight upon the
things We have revealed and sent unto thee and not
towards the people and that which is current amongst
them. They are in this day like unto a blind man who,
while moving in the sunshine, demandeth: Where is the
sun? Is it shining? He would deny and dispute the truth,
and would not be of them that perceive. Never shall he be
able to discern the sun or to understand that which hath
intervened between him and it. He would object within
himself, voice protests, and would be among the rebellious.
Such is the state of this people. Leave them unto themselves,
saying: Unto you be that which ye desire and unto
us that which we desire. Wretched indeed is the plight of
the ungodly.
Know thou moreover that the former Manifestation
affirmed that the return and rising of the spirits would occur
on the Day of Resurrection, while in truth there is a return
and resurrection for every created thing. However We do
not wish to mention aught that is not set forth in the Bayan,
lest perchance the people of malice raise a great outcry. O
would that that which interveneth between the children of
men and their Creator were dispelled that they might be
enabled to behold God's invincible sovereignty and dominion,
quaff from the wellspring of His heavenly streams, be
sprinkled with the outpourings of the ocean of true understanding
and be purged from the defilements of the ungodly
and the suspicious.
As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know
thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their
number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or
comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Consider thy state when asleep. Verily, I say, this
phenomenon is the most mysterious of the signs of God
amongst men, were they to ponder it in their hearts.
Behold how the thing which thou hast seen in thy dream is,
after a considerable lapse of time, fully realized. Had the
world in which thou didst find thyself in thy dream been
identical with the world in which thou livest, it would have
been necessary for the event occurring in that dream to
have transpired in this world at the very moment of its
occurrence. Were it so, you yourself would have borne
witness unto it. This being not the case, however, it must
necessarily follow that the world in which thou livest is
different and apart from that which thou hast experienced
in thy dream. This latter world hath neither beginning nor
end. It would be true if thou wert to contend that this same
world is, as decreed by the All-Glorious and Almighty God,
within thy proper self and is wrapped up within thee. It
would equally be true to maintain that thy spirit, having
transcended the limitations of sleep and having stripped
itself of all earthly attachment, hath, by the act of God,
been made to traverse a realm which lieth hidden in the
innermost reality of this world. Verily I say, the creation of
God embraceth worlds besides this world, and creatures
apart from these creatures. In each of these worlds He hath
ordained things which none can search except Himself, the
All-Searching, the All-Wise. Do thou meditate on that
which We have revealed unto thee, that thou mayest
discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all
worlds. In these words the mysteries of Divine Wisdom
have been treasured. We have refrained from dwelling
upon this theme owing to the sorrow that hath encompassed
Us from the actions of them that have been created
through Our words, if ye be of them that will hearken
unto Our Voice.
Where is the one who can help Me and shield Me from
the swords of these faithless souls? Where is the man of
insight who will behold the Words of God with his own
eyes and rid himself of the opinions and notions of the
peoples of the earth?
O servant! Warn thou the servants of God not to reject
that which they do not comprehend. Say, implore God to
open to your hearts the portals of true understanding that
ye may be apprised of that of which no one is apprised.
Verily, He is the Giver, the Forgiving, the Compassionate.
Thou hast moreover asked Me concerning the ordinances
of God. Know thou of a truth that whatsoever hath been
prescribed in the Book is indeed the truth, no doubt is
there about it, and it is incumbent upon everyone to
observe that which hath been sent down by Him Who is
the Revealer, the All-Knowing. Were a man to put them
away despite his being aware thereof, God would truly be
clear of such a one and We too would be clear of him,
inasmuch as His ordinances constitute the fruits of the
divine Tree and none other than the heedless and the
wayward will deviate therefrom.
As to Paradise: It is a reality and there can be no doubt
about it, and now in this world it is realized through love
of Me and My good-pleasure. Whosoever attaineth unto
it God will aid him in this world below, and after death
He will enable him to gain admittance into Paradise whose
vastness is as that of heaven and earth. Therein the Maids
of glory and holiness will wait upon him in the daytime
and in the night season, while the day-star of the unfading
beauty of his Lord will at all times shed its radiance upon
him and he will shine so brightly that no one shall bear
to gaze at him. Such is the dispensation of Providence,
yet the people are shut out by a grievous veil. Likewise
apprehend thou the nature of hell-fire and be of them that
truly believe. For every act performed there shall be a
recompense according to the estimate of God, and unto
this the very ordinances and prohibitions prescribed by
the Almighty amply bear witness. For surely if deeds were
not rewarded and yielded no fruit, then the Cause of God
--exalted is He--would prove futile. Immeasurably high
is He exalted above such blasphemies! However, unto them
that are rid of all attachments a deed is, verily, its own
reward. Were We to enlarge upon this theme numerous
Tablets would need to be written.
I swear by the righteousness of the One true God! The
Pen is unable to move by reason of that which hath befallen
its Lord, and it weepeth sore, and so do I weep, and likewise
weepeth the eye of Him Who is the Essence of
Grandeur behind the Tabernacle of Names while seated on
the Throne of His glorious Name.
Purge thou thy heart that We may cause fountains of
wisdom and utterance to gush out therefrom, thus enabling
thee to raise thy voice among all mankind. Unloose thy
tongue and proclaim the truth for the sake of the remembrance
of thy merciful Lord. Be not afraid of anyone,
place thy whole trust in God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.
Say, O people, fulfil whatever ye understand of
the Persian Bayan and whatever ye understand not ask this
unerring Remembrance that He may set forth clearly that
which God hath intended in His Book, for in truth He
knoweth that which is enshrined in the Bayan by virtue of
the Will of Him Who is the Omnipotent, the Powerful.
Thou hast enquired about the warning We gave to the
people at the time of Our departure from Iraq to the effect
that when the Sun disappeareth from sight, birds of darkness
will be in motion and the standards of Samiri will be
reared high. I swear by God! Those birds have stirred in
these days and Samiri hath raised his clamour. Well is it
with him who recognizeth and is numbered with men of
understanding. We have also warned them against the
appearance of the calf. God is My witness! All Our warnings
have come to pass, as indeed, they are bound to,
inasmuch as they have issued from the fingers of glory and
might. Beseech thou God to protect thee from the mischief
of these men and to purify thee from the insinuations of the
froward. Strengthen thy loins then for the promotion of
the Cause and pay no attention unto the words uttered by
the people of the Bayan, for they are truly incapable of
understanding and have failed to comprehend the essence
of the Cause as is revealed in this august, this Most Great
Announcement. Thus have We inspired thee, and infused
into thy heart that which will make thee independent of the
allusions of mankind.
The glory of God be upon thee and upon them that give
ear unto the words thou dost utter for the love of God, thy
Lord, and remain steadfast in His Cause. All praise be unto
God, the Lord of the worlds.